A Guise of Goodwill
by celtic ballad
Summary: A prince struggles to release the world from deprivacy and to outgrow his brother's shadow, while the daughter of a warlord struggles against manipulation while trying to save all that she knows. And their meeting...


**My first Inuyasha story. Not a large priority for me, but I liked the plot. Sorry about the chapter length, but I needed to stop**

**it where I did. Any more would have been entirely superfluous. Anyway, enjoy. I think that the spacing is screwed up, but **

**you never know... Just in case, the first word of a new section will be bold and underlined, the first letter of each paragraph bold.**

**Oh, and feedback would be nice. I know that my other stories are, quite simply, awful, but this should be better. I hope.**

**Summary: A prince struggles to release the world from deprivacy and to outgrow his brother's shadow, while the daughter **

**of a warlord struggles against manipulation while trying to save all that she knows. And their meeting...**

**Disclaimer: I, the most wonderful ofwonderful people, as well as the most conceited, don't own Inuyasha. Pft... Doesn't **

**detract from the wonderfulness... **

**They **would find him soon, of that he was sure. The expedition had started out so well that he had gotten careless,

too confident, and now he would pay the price for his arrogance. One misstep was all it had taken before the mission

spiraled into darkness, taking Sesshoumaru with it. Not that he particularly liked Sesshoumaru, in fact, he quite detested

him, but he was blood, and that mattered.

**T**hey had gone under protection of the new moon, because he, Inuyasha, was hanyou (partially dog youkai, as his name implied)

and that night his conspicuous silvery white hair became inky black to blend with the dark. Inuyahsa did not prefer to think

that his one night monthly human transformation was a helpful occurrence, and he had argued furiously with Sesshoumaru

against the need to take such a precaution, but now he was sure that it was the only reason he was free.

**H**is mistake hadn't, at least, caused him to lose their treasure, because if he had failed, he would have been cast out of the

tribe, demon prince though he was. His position in the tribe was tedious at best, and evidence showed that his brother would

be more mourned than he ever would have been. The treasure would solidify his status, but there would be many pointed stares

that said plainly that he would never equal his brother.

**H**e tripped over a large clump of vegetation as he reached the top of a rise, and began to fall, his way marred by sharp stones

and thorny bushes. An enormous boulder painfully stopped his roll, and he lay there for a time, breathing desperately and

gasping when the pain began. He surmised that he had at least one broken rib, a fractured left arm, and numerous bruises, and

cursed the bush he'd tripped over, the rock, and his life in general as he excruciatingly climbed to his feet.

**H**e stopped short at the sight of a cliff on the boulder's other side. It was all that had saved him from hurtling over the

edge to his certain demise. This was perilous land, and though his night vision even as a human was excellent, he probably

would not have been able to discern the huge crevice before he had fallen.

**H**e tore his inner kimono into strips and bound his chest tightly with it, in an attempt to prevent his broken rib(s?) from

puncturing one of his lungs. He hacked up surrounding bushes and used them and the remaining cloth to clumsily splint his

arm. Once he was sufficiently bandaged, he contemplated what to do next.

**T**he edge of the cliff seemed to mark a path that meandered in the general direction he wanted to travel. Placing his hand on

the steep hill down which he had fallen, he managed to keep on the path while remaining as far from the cliff as possible.

**Inuyasha** continued on his way until he had put a fair distance between himself and the fortress before he stopped for a rest.

He had traveled for an unmarked time, and the space had only very gradually changed (and it seemed a small thing compared to

the length of time). He had come across a small cave in the rock face, one he would have missed if he had not fallen into it,

it was so covered by brush. Hidden from passerby, it was an ideal and relatively safe place to stop, and he appreciated it.

He would stay here and wait for dawn.

**I**t was cold in the cave, the stones that built it sharp and unforgiving to the hanyou's plight. The wind howled and moaned

outside, and he was grateful to be out of it. Shadows began to form around the pebbles that were strewn across the ground as

the area around the horizon grayed in anticipation of dawn's first light. A streamer of light penetrated the twilight of the

cave, arousing him from his stupor, and comforting him with its warmth. His violet eyes captured color from the sunlight and

retained it, seeming to become flecked with ever growing pools of molten gold. He stepped forward into the light, relishing

the feel of his injuries repairing themselves as he transformed. The inky tips of his hair became streaked with ivory, a p

igment that spread in a ripple of light, disturbed only by the movement of his ears as they crawled up the side of his head

to perch on the top. His limbs lengthened, bones shifting into a flawless embodiment of strength.

**T**hen, slowly the feeling of ecstasy he experienced lessened, until the ethereal parted to the grudgingly welcome reality: He

was the hunted, might fall under the power of the most powerful and vengeful creatures that had ever claimed immortality. He

had best be going. One last look behind him, a stifled prayer, and Inuyasha began his way again, hoping against hope that he

would not fall prey to the schemes of his predators.

**She **woke, breathing heavily as though she were being chased, to the sensation of a semi-translucent hand touching her

shoulder. It receded, and she ignored it, trying to recollect the images in her dream. Darkness, the smell of fear, tearing

pain as she fell, a small, dark place... she rubbed ferociously at her temples, desperately trying to retain the rest of the

quickly fading dream, until an insistent shake of her shoulder jolted the remnants of the dream from her mind. Cursing, she

snapped her eyes open to give the intruder a piece of her mind, but what her gaze landed on left her speechless. An

incandesencent being was before her, dazzling her so that she wished she had left her eyes closed. A humanoid shape, outline

blurred in its brilliance, burning itself into her cornea. Knowing it had her attention, it moved back, gesturing towards the

corners to send effervescent balls of light to soundproof the room.

**K**agome stared at it, completely nonplussed. What was this creature, and why was it visiting her room? She opened her mouth,

ready to terrorize it, no matter the consequences, but she was stopped by a thought that seemed to emanate from the being:

"Wait until I explain"

**K**agome shook her head, unable to believe what she was experiencing. Surely this had to be to a twisted dream, or a strange

hallucination.

**"I **am not a mirage. I will not fade if you touch me. I am here to propose a transaction, which you would do well to accept."

**K**agome blinked at the thing's response to her thoughts. Somehow it knew what ran through her mind, somehow it knew her

suspicion. "Wh-what do you want?" She was ashamed to hear her voice quiver, and tried to hide it behind a scorching glare,

although she had an inkling that the being wasn't fooled for a second.

**"I **said that I was here to propose a deal. Will you hear it, or will you reject it without listening and wonder always?"

**"W**hat's this deal? Why are you extending it to me?"

**"Y**ou have something that weighs heavily on you, do you not? Your sister Kikyou's eminent death tears your heart, and you feel

that you should be able to find a cure for her illness. Your province's support of your father is waning, and you feel that

it won't be long until his position is usurped, and your remaining family killed. You need an alliance to a strong warlord,

but most of the nearest ones aren't interested. I thought you might want to save your family and the life you know."

**"W**ell, jeez, don't beat around the bush at all." Kagome grumbled, irked by the truth of the apparition' s statements.

**"T**his is not a joking matter. You need to save your family and status. We need assistance to save our honor. We can provide a

cure for Kikyo and an alliance to save your family. You can provide us with our goal. We are at both in need of the other."

**"A**nd what is your goal? What do I have to do to attain it for you?"

**"I**f you agree, you will be informed gradually, as is needed. Until then, you will just follow your instructions."

**"S**o, basically, I will be manipulated knowingly but unable to do anything about it, as I will be doing it for the sake of my

family, and I will have no idea what my part entails. Well, doesn't that sound wonderful." Kagome said sarcastically, masking

her indecision with cynicism.

**T**he specter seemed to shrug, as though her decision did not affect it. Kagome groaned inwardly; it already knew what her

answer would be. Still, it was a chouce that could change here life. Unbidden, an image of Kikyou rose to her mind, deathly pale

skin pasty with sickness. She brushed her raven black back from her face, squared her shoulders, lifted her head so that the sun

caught her sea blue eyes. "I'll do it."

**Inuyahsa** rotated his shoulders irritably, trying and failing to rid himself of an itch in the one place on his back he

couldn't reach. His outer kimono, rich scarlet and encrusted with precious gems and flashing embroidery, lay exasperatingly

heavy across his torso, pulled tight towards his middle with an ostentatiously ornate obi. The inner kimonos (all delicate

shades of crimson and cloth of silver) bunched under his outer kimono, refusing to stay in the position that custom dictated.

**I**nuyasha saw his nobility, all nearly as elaborately dressed as he, sway and murmur as they caught sight of him, and he

imagined that most of what they said was not complimentary. He knew that they felt he would never be as good as his brother,

never carry himself with such surety and elegance, never be as unbiased in his decisions, never be as proficient as a

full-blood demon. _Half-blood_, they spat, _Ningen_.

**I**nuyasha did not know that the poorer subjects of his realm supported his rule. He did not know that they had prayed for an

end to the sadism inflicted by Sesshoumaru, that they would take him as he was, full youkai or no. Sesshoumaru had presided

with an iron fist over their caste, had made examples of them to prevent uprisings. His nobility were safe. The lower class

was not.

**A**s Inuyasha continued to the raised coronation platform, the murmuring subsided. An almost tangible feeling of suspense

scented the air, pungent with ugly thoughts. _I'm willing to bet that several assassinations are halfway planned by now_,

Inuyasha thought wryly, used to the dislike of his people. A higher lord, one Inuyahsa believed to be Inutaro-sama, swept

Inuyasha's train from behind him as Inuyasha acsended to the top of the platform. This movement a part of the ceremony since

its tradition had begun, and Inutaro-sama only did it for Inuyasha because, as a hanyou, Inuyasha had no tail. It made him

bitter to think that this was another thing to set him apart, to make people believe that the gods were against his rule. If

only they knew...

**W**hen Inyasha reached the top, he turned to face the tapestry that hung above the pedestal reluctantky. There was no turning

back now. As the service begun ("We have gathered today for a crowning of a new king, one who has risked..."), he studied it,

a map of his heritage that dated back thousands of years. It had been woven in silk, and the colors were as bright now as

they had been since it was woven. It depicted the first coronation of an inu ruler. ("...takes upon himself the

responsabilities and care of his people...") Inuyasha gazed at the hem of an inner kimono that peeked out under the lush

outer kimono,the curve of the great lord's face, the vibrant amber of his eyes, the shine of his silver hair... Inuyasha

allowed his eyes to slide upward, until they alighted upon his crown, which was inset with a shiny, pink tinted stone...he

froze. _Could it be...? No. Right? _

**"A**nd we do witness that upon this moment, we have Inuyahsa as our king, and we will serve this daiou (king) until our live

do end." The monk turned to Inuyasha, saying, "Do you take upon yourself the lives of all under you?"

**I**nuyasha nodded, cleared his throat. "I will take upon myself the lives of my people and treat them as the jewels that they

are to me until death does take me."

**T**he monk reached over to a young demon beside him and took the crown from a silken pillow that the boy held before him.

Facing Inuyasha again, he placed it on his head, the lace-like silver and faceted emeralds glinting in the light, rainbow

prisms ricocheting off of the gems and dancing across the gathering. Inuyasha hardly heard the closing, he was so

preocuppied with the new weight he felt, be it that of his responsability or that of the crown on his head. What he did hear,

however, was this: "We have decided to form an alliance with a human realm by a royal marriage: that of our new king and the

daughter of their resident warlord. Inuyasha-daiou will marry on this eve, two moon cycles from now." Inuyasha felt his last

remnant of freedom be snuffed out like a candle in full wind.

**Well, you know what they say: 'The answer is right in front of you.' Follow your eyes... to that little blue button **

**down there. Thanks.**


End file.
